chairperson

noun

chair·​per·​son ˈcher-ˌpər-sᵊn 

plural chairpersons or chairpeople

1

: the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or event

2

: the administrative officer of a department of instruction (as in a college)

Synonyms of chairperson

• chairman
• president
• moderator
• presider

Examples of chairperson in a Sentence

A new chairperson for the committee has not yet been appointed.

the chairperson will determine the order in which people will speak

Recent Examples on the Web

Tundu Lissu, a Tanzanian opposition leader and chairperson of the Chadema party, was sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted of inciting people to disrupt last year's election but was acquitted of the more serious charge of treason. — Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026

For Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums, the packed calendar is the message. — Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026

His sister, Mai Huixia, 64, who serves as vice-chairperson, joined him in the billionaire ranks, with Forbes reporting that her stake gave her a $2 billion fortune. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2026

City rules stipulate that if the two branches of City Hall can’t agree on a replacement within 90 days of the term’s end, the chairperson’s tenure is then extended a year. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chairperson

• layperson
• salesperson
• businessperson
• person
• worsen

Kids Definition

chairperson

noun

chair·​per·​son -ˌpər-sən 

: chair sense 2c